Monday, January 24, 2011

Romney and Obama Have A Similar Problem

I was reading some angry posts recently about Romney and abortion, and then Bosman's link to Romney's comments on the March for Life. If you read what Romney opponents say then you will realize that there is nothing that Romney can do that will convince them that he is sufficiently pro life. Nothing. So will Romney will gain any political points for his comments on the March for Life? No. He might drive off moderate Republicans who abide by the infamous truce, though.

President Obama has a similar problem regarding immigration. It doesn't matter how many illegal immigrants he deports or how he directs immigration authorities to spend the billions of dollars Congress has authorized for immigration enforcement. He will always be viewed by his opponents as soft on illegal immigration. Meanwhile, his pro-immigrant base lose faith in his promise of change.

Mitt Romney has spent a considerable amount of time in the past few years in Iowa and South Carolina. He has got to know what he is up against. It is is no wonder that he has spent less time talking up social issues. He knows he can't win. The only explanation that I can think of for Romney's recent comments is that he really believes in the pro-life agenda. Again, he wins nothing for his boldness. He only brings up an issue that he can't win.

Ironically, for all of the talk about the timidity of Mitt Romney, he is one of the few Republicans who quite often takes bold positions -- his defense of TARP, his creation of health care reform in MA which was initially unpopular, his refusal to join in on the bombastic rhetoric of the far right, his in depth discussion in his book on the need to reform entitlements, and now -- his pro life agenda.

8 comments:

“Again, he gains nothing for showing his boldness.” You may be right for most voters, I don’t know, but not for all. To me, boldness in proclamation , especially about something that may or may not be popular, shows courage and authenticity. This builds trust. Even when I didn’t agree with an issue, he would be clearly telling me where he stands, and for me this alone puts a politician above most.

But, then again, the attributes I value are probably in the minority and it would be terrible campaign advice.

Well Pablo, I half agree. You are correct that Mr. Romney will not gain many Conservative supporters by supporting Life. There are enough other Pro-Life candidates out there who do not support TARP and MAcare.

On the other hand he is not likely going to lose support from liberals and Moderates for promoting Life. They already know he is Pro-Life and they are willing to hold their nose on that as long as he continues to promote TARP, MAcare and other values of the establishment.

Also, to his credit, Romney 3.0 has attracted many ethnic Americans who can trace their roots to Southern and Eastern Europe as well as various parts of Asia. While these people may not be across the board Conservative or even 100% Pro-Life, they certain won't abandon Mr. Romney for promoting Life.